Townsend's star seems to shine brightest at the US Open
NEW YORK -- Taylor Townsend has an unmistakable presence and charisma, and the energy and excitement that envelops New York City during the US Open has always seemed to suit her vibe.
This past weekend she had a pop-up, TT's House, in Brooklyn, a celebration of tennis and style that featured the launch of her latest merch. She did it the year prior, too, and for the third straight year she hosted a US Open welcome party.
The good vibes tend to follow the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz veteran on court, too, where she's had a pair of memorable runs to the fourth round, her best result at a major. She came through qualifying to reach the Round of 16 in New York in 2019, and last year she knocked off fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva before falling to Barbora Krejcikova in a heartbreaking three-setter.
The crowd was firmly and enthusiastically behind Townsend during that match in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and they were similarly supportive during her first-round match against Maja Chwalinska on Monday afternoon.
Townsend beat the French Open finalist convincingly, 6-2, 6-3, to continue her trend of upsetting seeded players in New York. Leading 4-2 in the second set, Townsend let three break points slip away, and after four deuces, Chwalinska held to trim the lead to 4-3.
That's when the New York crowd in the Grandstand stepped it up for the American. Chants of "You got this, Taylor!" and "Taylor, we love you!" were yelled loudly as Townsend prepared to serve.
She then took the next eight points to lock down the win and book her spot in the second round.
Speaking to reporters after the match, the doubles World No. 2 confirmed that playing at the US Open brings out the best in her. Credit goes to the city and the fans, but also to the tournament.
"I thoroughly enjoy playing here," she said, "and I think over the past couple of years, they've really done a great job of changing the experience for the American players. They've done a great job of trying to make sure that we feel special, and we feel like this is our home Slam.
"It's allowed me to be able to also play really great tennis, because I'm able to kind of do things that some of the top players do -- get practice time, get priority, so I'm able to create a schedule that works really well for me. I had a great practice week and I had a great fan week, and I think I really prepared very well for this event."
Townsend has also been energized this week by the unveiling of her custom US Open kit, created by celebrity stylist J. Bolin. She had many ideas about what she wanted, including certain colors and specific patterns, but needed a brilliant designer to execute her vision. Bolin did it to perfection, though getting it to the finish line was quite the undertaking. (As if the days and weeks leading up to a Grand Slam aren't stressful enough...)
"It's honestly insane if I were to tell you the timeline," she said. "They were able to turn this around in like three weeks. [J. Bolin] and his team have been working endlessly. We had three fittings last week to make sure that everything was perfect and done correctly. They're a really, really phenomenal team.
"This is the first time I've ever done anything like this. This is something that I wanted to do from the beginning when I first created my own brand, but it's really, really difficult. ...You never know how things are gonna perform, when you get to sweating and all the things, but everything was perfect. I was really happy and I felt super confident."
Townsend and J. Bolin have actually collaborated on five outfits for the Open, and she plans to debut new ones each round.
This busy stretch for Townsend also included mixed doubles with Alexander Zverev last week. Though they lost in straight sets to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, Townsend treasured the experience to reconnect with the ATP World No. 2, a player she's known since she was 12.
And, of course, Townsend and Katerina Siniakova will be the top seeds in the doubles draw. They've already booked their spot in the WTA Finals, and are hoping to win their first US Open title together after reaching the final last year. A doubles title would complete the career doubles Grand Slam for Townsend. (Siniakova has already achieved it.)
"I just think I'm built for it, to be honest," Townsend said of navigating the singles and doubles draws simultaneously. "Not everyone is, but I am. ...I really just enjoy being out on the court and competing. I'm a competitor, and a warrior, and I just love those moments. I think that I have a superpower of doing hard s***."
Townsend will play Australian Taylah Preston in the second round on Wednesday.
